


The Castaway Pirate and the Enchanted Mermaid

by SuirenShinju



Category: Sofia the First (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, castaway, mermaid, pirate, shipwrecked
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26805307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuirenShinju/pseuds/SuirenShinju
Summary: "Disgraced Captain Cedric has been searching for the fabled treasure of Avalor for what feels like most of his life. Imagine his surprise when after being sent overboard his ship during a treacherous storm he finds it around the lovely neck of the mermaid who just saved his life." -AngelQueen13
Relationships: Cedfia - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue: Washed Up

Cedric knew he wasn't dead. Being dead wouldn't hurt so much. No, somehow he was alive and aware of every ache and pain in his body. He never thought his slender form could ever feel heavy, yet here he was, feeling like gravity had increased and mushed him into the ground.

The last thing he could remember was falling overboard, his belts and boots not helping his buoyancy, not that it would have made a difference. Any decent swimmer would be swept away by those currents and while not a swimmer per say, he knew enough to prevent drowning under calmer circumstances. He recalled his hands grasping toward the surface as if seeking some invisible ladder and the fear of sinking deeper into the depths despite all his efforts to resurface. It looked like the end, it should have been the end. There was no way he should have survived. He recalled a flash of light in the moment just before his lost consciousness, assuming it was related to that tunnel people talked about, though he couldn't remember one – just the light.

At last his eyes found the strength to open, revealing blue skies above him. The sound of breaking waves filtered into his ears and his hands once again clutched, this time grasping damp sand. Well, that explained why he felt he was sinking into the ground. So he somehow washed up somewhere. Perfect. Now he'd have the pleasure of starving to death unless he'd miraculously found himself hundreds of miles back near the mainland.

He took a big inhale of breath, oxygen never tasting so good. He never wanted to experience that burning in his lungs again, that desperation of both mind and body fighting for life in a helpless situation. He closed his eyes, still too weak to move and mind still half aware, taking deep, measured breaths. Yes, starvation was probably preferable despite its drawn out process.


	2. Upon a Mermaid's Bosom

The sun felt warm on his skin and its sudden absence was noticed. He would have suspected a cloud had he not felt a hand on his cheek.

He groaned, having to do the difficult task of tilting his head and opening his eyes once more. He saw a woman at his side, a rather pretty one, a rather half naked one. Maybe he was dying after all and this was the angel that waited for him in paradise. That wouldn't be so bad, he thought, smiling a little at this stranger still gingerly stroking his cheek.

"I'm going to sit you up a bit," she spoke firmly, a mix of authority and gentleness in her voice. He felt his upper half move and come to rest on something soft.

It took him a moment to deduce he was on her lap and moments later had the rim of a mollusk at his lips.

"Drink," she ordered. "It's fresh water."

He obeyed, opening his mouth enough to let a cool and refreshing sip of water down his throat.

"Don't worry," she said reassuringly, moving the shell back and forth between a wooden bucket of fresh water and the man's lips. "You're safe. I'll take care of you."

How horribly kind of her, he thought. She likely wouldn't be so kind if she knew who he was and what actions led him to this fate. He would have loved to relish in the tender nursing care of a beauty, but in a pang of conciseness knew he didn't deserve it.

Still, she was making it difficult to refuse the service – not that he was in any state to do so in the first place. Cedric found his head pillowed against her bare cleavage, the scent and warmth of her skin arousing ideas that his weary body still tried reacting on. A valiant effort, but his blood was needed for more vital functions at present. He nestled his head a little closer, his nose brushing against something hard and curiosity opening his eyes.

Oh, it was just the Amulet of Avalor. He saw it often enough in his dreams, always so close but never within reach. His brain must have still been waterlogged given how many seconds ticked by before he realized he was indeed conscious and what he was seeing was quite real.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He screamed, his strength returning seemingly all at once as he jumped up, eyes transfixed on the trinket above her breasts and a finger pointing directly at it. "Th-Th-Th-The Amulet of A-A-Avalor!"

The girl blinked and cupped the jewel in her hands with a small, proud smile. "Oh! You know about it?"

The longer Cedric stared, the more of her came into focus and his eyes widened further. There were shimmering violet scales and translucent fins in place of legs and feet. This amulet bearing beauty was a mermaid.

He stood stunned, unable to speak with these two magical anomalies thrown in his face just after a near-death experience. Perhaps the gods were trying to give him a heart attack. As quickly as it returned, his strength retreated, dragging him back down into the sand on his knees.

"Are you alright?" The mermaid asked, reaching out to touch his face. "You poor thing. You should rest."

He flinched at her approaching hand, avoiding it.

"Are you shy? It's alright. I know about humans. I'll help you," she insisted, reaching out both hands for him.

This was bad. Didn't mermaids seek to drown men? She might have saved him from the water only to finish him off herself. Add in the powerful amulet around her neck and she was probably the most dangerous thing on the water aside from the sea itself.

His brain was still trying to process the revelations while trying to come up with a plan. He'd spent most of his life in pursuit of the amulet, now here it was. He doubted he'd never get another opportunity like this, but he couldn't be rash. He could easily snatch the gem from her neck, but what then? He was still stuck on this island without transport and a vengeful mermaid who probably had allies beneath the waves.

While it might be best to play along with her for now, that didn't banish the anxiety rushing through his veins, that was until she waddled closer on her tail to get her arms around him.

"It's alright," she assured him, and what was worse, he believed her. Entirely and completely.

He must have drifted off to sleep after that, lulled by gentle hands and kind words. The whole ordeal commanding he take a long overdue rest, and so he did.


	3. Life's a Cold Beach

He awoke sometime in the night in a much different state, this time on a bed of palm leaves and a woven mat, his clothes gone, and blanket of woven grass placed over him. He sat up, his strength back enough for that much, and his eyes now clearly focusing on his surroundings. There was a fire pit about six feet to his left and a modest flame licking at twigs and old drift wood. Above him was a roof of leaves, pulled together from three trees and tied with vine to create a sort of umbrella over the bed. His clothes were nearby as well, strung up on yet another vine tied between two more trees.

Now he was just confused. How he survived was no longer a mystery, but now he began to wonder how a mermaid could do all this. Even if she came in with the high tide, there was no way she could reach the tops of trees. Do merfolk even know about fire? These were all questions he wanted answers to, and all were answered when she reappeared, walking up the beach with a basket under her arms.

"Oh good! You're awake." She smiled warmly, setting the basket filled with seafood down near the fire and picking up a few sticks to cook the fish on. "Humans prefer hot food, right? I'm understandably not that good at it, so let me know when they're done."

He sat up, staring at her legs. She'd made a skirt of sorts out of what he assumed was an old sail given the faded white. Unkempt as she was out of water, she was still breathtaking.

"Let's see now…" she talked herself through poking a stick through a fish and then trying to stick it in the sand to cook though the loose grains gave her some difficulty.

"...How did you…?" He began to ask and as she turned caught sight of the amulet around her neck, presenting the most likely explanation.

"My amulet lets me change back and forth," she explained with a smile. "Lucky for you, isn't it?"

"I suppose so…" Depending on one's definition of luck.

"I'm Sofia," she continued, bringing the basket onto her lap to sort through and prep for cooking.

"...Cedric," he grumbled, wrapping the grassy blanket over his shoulders as he joined her by the fire.

His dinner selection were a few fish and crabs, a lone lobster, and some mussels. Not exactly his favorites, but he didn't have the luxury of being picky. He took one of the skewed fish and distanced it from the flames a bit, slowly rotating it to ensure and even cook before he gathered the courage to try eating.

It was a slow process, having to pick away scales and bone, although it probably served him better not to rush lest he regurgitate the meal soon after finishing.

Sofia prattled on about her observations of humans and how she'd sneak onto beaches late at night when there were parties where she could easily mingle without suspicion. It explained how she knew about fire and the basics of camping, yet did little comfort him. Despite her aire of naivety, she was clever, and appeared adapted enough in her human form. Overpowering her wasn't going to be an option and he wasn't sure he was strong enough to put his wits into play.

Curses, he never expected his quest for the amulet to be easy, but he expected something more along the lines of exploring a boobytrapped ruin or solving a guardian deity's riddle - not to just have it right there pillowed on a mystical creature's bosom.

"Cedric," she called his name, perking him out of his thoughts. "Are you still hungry? I can go catch some more fish."

"No, this was more than enough for now…" He answered quietly, drinking the last bit of water from the bucket she'd brought. "Water… is my main concern."

"Right!" She stood up, completely determined, and grabbed the bucket before heading inland. She stayed on the treeline, dipping the huge leaves of plants over the opening to catch what water they had from yesterday's storm.

It was all well and good, but he couldn't count on rain water. He knew how to purify salt water, but the problem was a lack of containers and something that could tolerate fire.

"Okay, one fresh bucket of water!" Sofia announced upon her return, setting it next to him and looking so proud of herself his pessimism refused to rear itself.

"...Thanks…" was all he managed.

"Don't worry," her voice calmed to one of reassurance as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure another ship will be in the area soon, and I'll gladly help you until then."

"You don't have business to attend to?"

"Not really. I've been exploring on my own for a while now," she said, kneeling down to add some wood to the fire. "You're the most interesting thing I've come across for sure."

"Heh, that's a low threshold…" He muttered to himself, wrapping the would be blanket around himself a little tighter. "How dry are my clothes?"

"I think that torso garment should be dry, let me check," and was once again up to her impromptu clothes line.

Indeed he was cold, but he was also studying her. She moved as steadily as any human, her only trip-ups being caused by the sand, meaning she made use of this power regularly enough for her to easily find her balance. He had no advantage, other than playing to his castaway status, but how long would that last? What if a ship arrived too soon before he had a chance to take the amulet? Maybe he could take it and use its powers to escape if he was quick enough, but the only problem with that was the lack of instruction of how it worked. Simply wearing it didn't activate it apparently.

"The heavier garments are still pretty damp," Sofia explained as she returned with his shirt draped over an arm. "This is dry though."

"It's better than nothing," he said as he took the shirt and quickly donned it, earning a slight blush from the woman. "...What?"

"Hm?" She kept her eyes averted until she was sure he was 'decent'.

"You undressed me and now you're embarrassed about it?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"I-It's not like I took my time to look," she answered, her cheeks a bit redder. "I don't… see many men up close. You're usually clothed, especially 'there' so I can infer it's where I ought not to be looking."

"There's not much to see," he shrugged, adding the blanket of grass back over his shoulders. Cold sea water wouldn't have made him anything to ogle even if she had taken her time with him. Wait, how did this get to be their topic of conversation? His waterlogged package was the least of his concerns. He ought to ask her about the amulet. Get a demonstration of its powers.

She cautiously made her way to his side, sitting down next to him rather than across the flames. "Are you warmer now?"

"Oh…" He said very quietly, not expecting that gentle nursing demeanor of hers to throw his conniving mind off its train of thought. It did feel good to have cloth on his back instead of scratchy grass, but his body felt like it was still lacking something. "Just a bit… I'll try to stay close to the fire."

"Yes, but if the embers catch this, you'll be cooked," she said with a tug to the weaving. "I've dried off mostly, if you wouldn't mind my staying close."

She wasn't suggesting… No, she couldn't be. However, he doubted she had a store of blankets awaiting to wrap him up in. She probably didn't realize the implications, and he always considered himself a gentleman, but her getting close to him fell in his favor: don't look a gift seahorse in the mouth and whatnot.

"Just let me know if you need me," she said through a yawn and she leaned against his shoulder, clearly desperate for sleep now that she'd taken a moment to relax.

She must have spent the entire day putting together this little camp, not to mention fishing up a decent selection of seafood. He couldn't have done anything of this himself, not to this degree of success anyway, nor so quickly. He still felt like he'd gone a round with the ocean and lost, and knowing his health that'd mean at least another day or two of recovery - and that was if everything else cooperated in his favor, a very unlikely scenario.

As Sofia drifted off to sleep, the opportunity to snatch her amulet presented itself, only for Cedric to reject it. It was still too early, and he was so tired, and if nothing else went right, at least he wasn't alone. He wasn't ready for solitude to return, not just yet.


	4. That Sinking Feeling

Cedric awoke the next morning feeling more like he was on vacation. The breeze was pleasant, the shade cool, and his body kept warm by a beautiful young woman.

He retired back to the makeshift bed under the canopy shortly after she fell asleep on him, a groggy Sofia quietly following after him like a zombie. She laid with him, not that he had much say in the matter anyway, providing a better source of heat than the fire or grassy blanket.

He found it strange she didn't have a fishy smell to her, not that he'd ever smelled a mermaid before but logically he assumed… Not that it mattered, it was just another observation he'd made as the wheels in his head began to turn. It must have been the power of the amulet, her human form hiding any hint of her fishtail.

He slowly sat up, careful not to wake Sofia as she pillowed herself on his chest, but it seemed the movement disturbed her anyway as she began to kick in her sleep, which in turn caused the amulet to light up, and for her scales to return.

"Wow…" He watched as her lower half changed with amazement, and awe.

"Mmnn…" Sofia stirred, her hands now reaching to hold onto him. "Don't go…"

"Huh? Go?" He wasn't sure he heard her right. "I'm not going anywhere. Not that I could even if I wanted to."

"Wha…?" Her eyes opened wider and then she jumped back from him, floundering in the sand. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I haven't talked in my sleep since I was little!"

"'Er, well, it's nothing to apologize for…"

"Ack! I changed back!" She said, apparently just realizing she'd done so. She clasped a hand around the amulet and took a deep breath, calming herself before the magic activated and returned her legs.

Cedric got his demonstration, but it only sprouted more questions. "How… How exactly does that work?"

"My amulet?" She asked as she stood and returned to the shade of the canopy. "I'm not entirely certain. It responds to strong feelings, particularly needs. I can't wish you up a boat or anything."

"What if I wore it?" He suggested, hypothetically of course.

"I don't know… it might turn you into a boat, maybe a bird? But it doesn't give you energy to endure however long it may take you to find land so you could end up exhausting yourself and put in more danger."

"...Speaking from experience?"

"Yes... " She bowed her head sheepishly.

Cedric didn't see a reason for her to lie about it, but he wasn't entirely certain this was the truth of the amulet. Maybe she had yet to utilize it to its full potential. He wouldn't know for certain until he tried it himself, but the timing wasn't right. He'd try tonight after she fell asleep, he decided. For now, he'd just enjoy the day and recoup some strength.

Breakfast featured fish and coconut, which he wasn't particularly ravenous over, but his mornings were usually like that. He'd nibble on bits of the white flesh through the morning after getting dressed in his remaining clothes, sans hat, and preparing to walk the beach and explore the island a bit.

Sofia had gone back into the ocean with her basket, ready to catch more for lunch and dinner.

He knew he wouldn't have a clue of guessing where he was until the stars were out. This island was out of the way of any trade route, he deduced, given it's rather larger size usually there'd be a small dock and a hut somewhere. So he figured he must be just out of the way enough or ideally, closer to a larger port that wouldn't need many pit stops before it. It might be possible he hit his mark of Encantada - the island the amulet was destined for.

He paused in his tracks, wondering if that's how Sofia came upon it. He could picture a curious mermaid exploring a wreck and finding something pretty to adorn herself with. The only problem with that scenario is that the ship reported to have been carrying the amulet did make it to port. Clearly it could have been a ruse, the amulet secreted away on another ship that met a tragic fate. He long suspected it'd been sent to the depths and obviously it had, but how?

"Damn it all…" he took his frustration out on some grass with his cutlass, also retrieved from the water.

It just wasn't enough for him. He had the amulet practically within his grasp. The how it got there shouldn't matter, but that was the damnable thing about human curiosity and the desire to know. He might just have to sit down and ask some hard questions of the little mermaid.


	5. The Stowed Away Story

About 15 years ago, a merchant ship called _the Boreas_ was hired to transport a number of collectable items from the Isleworth Archipelago. The Amulet of Avalor was rumored to be among the items making their way to Encantada, an island famous for its diverse trades. The ship arrived in the port, but the amulet had not. The only lead involved a distraught deckhand who was removed from the crew following the incident for reasons Cedric never bothered to remember since it didn't involve the amulet. Maybe he'd been too quick to pass such judgement.

He'd rounded the island in less than an hour, finding absolutely no traces of civilization - not that he expected to. What he didn't expect was Sofia to be waiting for him, already human again, and waving at him the moment he stepped into view.

"Cedric!" She looked eager to tell him something and couldn't restrain herself from running to meet him.

"What is it? Did you see a ship?!" He trotted up to her, his hopes half raised.

"Well, an underwater one," she admitted and held up her other hand which was firmly grasping a corked bottle. "I found an unbroken bottle inside. Human men like to drink these, don't they?"

"Looks like wine…" He said, taking the bottle to examine it. The label was long gone, but the bottle's shape was telling.

"Is that a good find? So many shipwrecks around here get picked over quickly."

"It's a nice find," he smiled a little. "Though red doesn't pair well with fish."

"Does that matter?" She asked, sounding more concerned than was necessary.

He let out a small chuckle. "No, no it doesn't. We can have some with dinner."

She gave him a warm smile as they settled back into their camp and she prepared a lunch of fruit and crab while Cedric checked on the water collected in his halved coconuts. It was the best container he could manage for the time being. His cutlass was rather useless for carving and there wasn't much else the island could offer.

He took a seat at the fire, slowly sipping the warmish water and watching Sofia prepare some fish for herself. For someone not used to cooking by fire, she seemed to pick up the skill rather quickly, letting the flames take their time to cook a meal he thought she was more accustomed to eating raw.

"You like cooked fish?" He asked casually.

"Oh yeah, and merfolk do cook from time to time near underwater heat vents. It's a different skill set though." She smiled up at him. "How are you feeling? Your walk didn't exhaust you, did it?"

"A bit. Everything is still sore, but I know staying still will make it worse. At the very least I know I didn't break anything."

"That's good. I'm not sure what more I could do for you if you were seriously injured."

"Small miracles, I guess…" He smirked, eyes focusing in on the amulet. "Sofia, I've been wondering…"

"Hm?" She glanced up at him, still smiling.

"How did you get that amulet?" He watched as her smile slowly faded, her body language instantly implying she hadn't merely found it. "...I've… I've been searching for it for years… there's been no trace for over fourteen years."

Sofia's head drooped as she looked down at her fish and the embers. "I didn't mean to steal it…"

Oof, he needed to be more delicate. "I'm not saying that you did, I'm simply curious."

"If I tell you, would you do me a favor?" She found the courage to look back up at him, her blue eyes wide and watery.

Making promises he didn't intend to keep wasn't new to him, but depending on what she asked of him, he'd consider it. "What is it?"

"I want… I want to dance with you."

"Dance…?"

"Nothing complicated. I don't care if it's good or not, I've just really wanted to have a partner. Merfolk dancing is really just fancy swimming after all," she said, wiping her eyes as her smile slowly returned.

He expected something a bit more complicated, but dancing was more than reasonable. He wasn't the most graceful man, but he could do a simple waltz. "Heh, you could argue human dancing is just fancy walking."

She giggled, her dreariness still lingering in an air of sadness she was trying to suppress with that smile of hers.

Before Cedric realized what he was doing, he was at her side putting his hand to her cheek in some attempt to comfort her. He wasn't sure what came over him other than to keep her tears at bay. "It's alright, my dear. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. A dance is the least I can do for you after you saved my life."

"No… No, I want to tell you… To tell somebody…" She whimpered, holding his hand to her cheek with both her hands.

He watched with bated breath as she drew his hand lower, to the chain of her amulet. She reached back and unfastened the clasp, letting it fall into Cedric's hand. He wondered why she had undone it, but the reason became obvious when her legs failed to turn back into a tail. He let the amulet slip from his fingers and into the sand. "You're…"

"This _is_ my original form…" she said quietly, reaching to retrieve the amulet and hold it up. "It saved my life when I fell overboard… by turning me into a mermaid."

"That's…" He was completely stunned. "You… you would have been a child... The Boreas' passenger list didn't include any children."

"My mother had just died, you see… my father was a sailor from another country… he couldn't just leave me on my own and refused to send me to an orphanage while he was out of town. He decided we'd move to Encantada where he could find other work, and we could stay together. Only problem was getting passage for both of us… he was lucky enough to be hired onto _the Boreas'_ crew, so stowing me away was the easy part… I played in the cargo hold looking at all the neat things, that's when I found this amulet… it was so pretty and being six years old, I of course put it on to play princess… I didn't know a thing about its powers of course. It was about halfway through the journey I guess when I heard footsteps that weren't my fathers and so I hid, I remember wanting to be like a ghost, invisible and no presence. The amulet listened, next thing I knew I was phasing through the ship, and it being the cargo hold, I didn't have far to go to hit water… it wasn't until the icy water hit me that I realized what happened. I was still sinking and watching as the ship went on without me… I got back to the surface after my desire shifted to wanting to catch the ship, I had a tail and could breathe… the water wasn't cold… but I wasn't strong enough… loud enough… maybe if I had taken the time to concentrate, I could have summoned a power to help me, but I…"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks by now, prompting Cedric to throw his arms around her tightly. Her night terrors made even more sense now as he envisioned a young Sofia desperate to not be left behind. "You were a child… you were panicked… Not even an adult would have had the wherewithal to think that quickly."

"I just keep thinking about my father…! He never knew what happened to me! He just lost his wife and then his daughter disappeared. He must have been so distraught..."

Cedric held her tighter, knowing that was the case. He was acting on emotion now, speaking without considering his initial plan. "Then come with me. I'll get you off this island and return you to your father."

"I… I couldn't ask you to do that…"

"Yes you could," he assured her. "You could ask anything of me."

She sniffled briefly before breaking down into full sobs, hugging him tightly as she wept despite knowing he'd never let her go.


End file.
